Today in Spotsylvania General District Court, one of the Troopers had an interesting issue: the person he stopped had posted about the stop on Facebook. The driver even posted a picture of the Trooper’s cruiser.
The crazy part here is that the Trooper found out about it!
I don’t know what the driver actually wrote on Facebook, but for this Trooper to even mention it to the judge, it probably wasn’t cordial. After hearing from the Trooper about the Facebook post, the judge set the case aside to decide later. I’ll bet the driver won’t be happy with the outcome.
What’s the moral of this story?
First of all, ALWAYS be polite and cooperative with law enforcement. It’s not pleasant to be pulled over and ticketed, but being a jerk can only hurt your case. Being polite can help you with the officer and the judge. (This doesn’t mean you have to do all the tests you’re asked to do or let the officer search. You can politely refuse.)
Second, remember that the police are on Facebook too. They’re people just like you and me. They have friends and family they want to connect with. In this case, the driver was friends with someone who was friends with another Trooper. And remember the girl who posted on Facebook about stealing the baby Jesus statue? Assume it’s all public!